Back
Central Michigan University Research Center

A bold new look for a hub that builds businesses

A white CMURC logo is placed on a maroon background with the tagline Accelerating Business.
Client –

CMURC (Central Michigan University Research Center)

Design services provided –

Brand Identity
Illustration & Infographics
Marketing Materials
Social Media

Deliverables –

Identity Refresh
Sub-Brand Logos
Print
Presentation
Illustration & Infographics
Brand Guidelines

Rebranding a mission-driven accelerator for growth and inclusion

Since 2011, CMURC has supported entrepreneurs in the Michigan Great Lakes Bay Region by offering coworking spaces and accelerator programs that drive innovation and economic growth. Through strong partnerships, they bridge the opportunity gap and provide vital business resources to individuals from diverse backgrounds. However, as CMURC expanded, their existing branding no longer captured the organization’s energy and forward-thinking mission, prompting a comprehensive rebrand.

Four vertical boxes with branded colors displays the company’s message Turning Vision Into Ventures. The background colors are distinctive for each word.

Core principles

Branded pattern design conveys CMURC’s core principles. Mission: Empowering entrepreneurs. Vision: Create a lasting legacy and an opportunity for future generations. Values: Adaptability, Belonging, Collaboration. Audience: Entrepreneurs, Professionals, Corporations.

Logo refresh

Split image showing a comparison of old logo and the newly updated version. Left side: Old logo uses two colors and feels technical. Right side: New logo is one color and feels approachable.

Color combinations

Four individual boxes shows a comparison of different combinations of the logo with branded background colors: maroon, yellow, blue, and violet.

Clear space

Graphic illustrates the correct amount of clear space to use around the CMURC logo by using the height and width of the letter C as a guide in all four corners.

Sizing

Two logo variations that give size requirements when using with or without the tag line: Accelerating Business. With Tagline: Minimum Height is above .7 inches or 50 pixels. Without Tagline: Height is below .7 inches or 50 pixels.

Promotional gear - T-shirt

A maroon T-shirt seen from the back with the text Accelerating Business printed in white. The shirt is against a solid yellow background.
Close-up of a person wearing a maroon T-shirt with the logo CMURC printed in white on the chest. The background is a solid maroon color.

Brand architecture

Three colored horizontal boxes shows in white, violet, and maroon, show different CMURC house brands and the hierarchy of the those logos. Top: CMURC logo. Middle: CoWorkRC logo. Bottom: Entrepreneur Like Me, Advise Me, Connect Me, Celebrate Me, Strategize Me, and Lift Me logos.

Promotional gear - coffee mug

Two branded violet coffee mugs against a light blue background. Front of mug displays the text Turning Vision Into Ventures with the CMURC logo. The other mug shows the CMURC logo and the tagline Accelerating Business.

A bold and meaningful visual identity

The new visual identity embraces a vibrant color palette, blending warm yellow and cyan tones with the original maroon to honor CMURC’s roots, while deep violet adds bold contrast. A primary typeface is modern and balances precision with friendly feel, and a heavier display font reinforces the organization’s confident, progressive approach. A key graphical element, the "hub," derived from the CMURC logo, serves as the foundation for patterns that reflect the brand’s core values.

Color palette

A color palette with five columns for Maroon, Yellow, Violet, Blue, and White. Each column includes RGB values, CMYK values, hex codes, and Pantone references.

Typography

Comparison of CMURC’s three main font typefaces: Roboto Regular, Roboto Bold, and Raleway Black. Each displays uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and punctuation. Below, large Aa examples illustrate the weight and style differences in each font.

Typography hierarchy & alignment

Yellow background with various text blocks demonstrates appropriate typeface weights and style treatments for Tags, Subheaders, Headlines, Titles, Quotes, Sublines, Secondary Headlines, Body Copy, and Buttons.

Business cards

Three variations of business cards with the front having the CMURC logo on blue, yellow, and maroon, while the back displays three different employee names and contact information.

Tri-color icon set

A collection of fifty branded tricolor icons on a white background, representing various concepts such as business, communication, technology, and everyday activities, including people, charts, gears, a light bulb, and a coffee cup.

Maroon mono-color icon set

Yellow mono-color icon set

A collection of fifty maroon colored icons on a yellow background.
A collection of fifty yellow colored icons on a yellow background.

Violet mono-color icon set

Blue mono-color icon set

A collection of fifty violet colored icons on a yellow background.
A collection of fifty blue colored icons on a yellow background.

Graphical element

A graphic that shows the CMURC logo on the left side, an equal sign in middle, followed by a modified symbol from the original logo called a Hub Component on the right side.

Hub components

Diagram showing a progression from simple to complex of 6 hub structures. The series includes Hub¹, Hub², Hub³, Hub⁴, Hub⁵, and a Hub²⁷, each with increasing connections and nodes on a dark violet background.

Hub component configuration

A large Illustration on right displays an example of proper use and placement of the Hub²⁷ graphic. Left hand side shows four smaller design, each rotating in increments of 90° to demonstrate proper rotation when customizing.

Posters

Four posters hang in a row. Each has the CMURC logo, along with a unique background color, hub graphic, and caption. Posters read: Turn vision into ventures, Collaboration begins here, Belonging begins here, Adaptability begins here, which all tie into CMURC’s brand values.

Graphical elements usage & color combinations

Example of a proper hub graphic color combination when used on a blue background.
Example of a proper hub graphic color combination when used on a violet background.
Example of a proper hub graphic color combination when used on a maroon background.
Example of a proper hub graphic color combination when used on a yellow background.

Promotional gear - tote bag

A woman sitting on a stool, wearing a white t-shirt and blue pants, holds a yellow tote bag branded with the CMURC logo and the tagline Accelerating Business.

Brand guidelines

A layout of various colorful slides featuring graphics, photos, and text that represent pages from the company’s brand guidelines. The slides include diverse patterns, charts, and sample text blocks. The design uses a consistent color scheme of violet, yellow, blue, and maroon.

Presentation slides

A laptop on top of a yellow cube displays a presentation slide featuring a branded layout with text and colorful graphics.
A collage of six branded business-themed presentation slides. Includes images of diverse people, text on business goals, investment funding, and advice, with maroon, blue, yellow, and maroon backgrounds. Includes motivational quotes, a suggested donation QR code, and financial figures.

Social media posts

Four branded digital mockups of social media posts promoting events, sponsors, coworking spaces, and testimonials.
A man in a tan long sleeved shirt sits against a maroon background with a yellow and blue hub graphic overlay. The CMURC logos appears in the right hand corner.
Next Project
Metal sign with a large letter F in calligraphy styling for a financial services company.
IDENTITY
BRANDING
PACKAGING
FRATTALLONE
Hard cover book sitting on a cement coffee table showcasing various logos and marks that reads: Logo Portfolio 2025.
IDENTITY
LOGO PORTFOLIO

Let’s work together

-

Let’s work together

Tell me about your project. Let’s collaborate and make it a success.
jc@cooleydesigns.com

(248) 342-4259